Closure device



H. s. PLETCHYER GLosURE DEVICE Aug. 17, '1937.

Filed Aug. 30.. 1934 Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE CLOSURE DEVICE Illinois Application August e0, 1934, serial No. 742,104

4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to closure devices, and is particularly adapted for use in circulating heaters generally employed for 'heating dwellings or apartments where coal or gas is used as a heating medium. 1n this type of heater certain disadvantages have manifested themselves causing considerable trouble to the manufacturer and discomfort to the user.

In order to gain maximum efficiency in the cir- 1:0 culating type of heater an air tight construction was employed both in the fuel door and in the ash pit door. Nhile this expedient accomplished the desired result, certain disadvantages were presented. It was found that the heat units :.115 surrounding the fire pot and Within the confines of the heater structure, tended to warp, crack or place undue strain upon the front portion of the stove. This defect has been eliminated in the present construction which has the manifold 2O purpose of augmenting the high emciency in the distribution of heat units and eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages.

A principal object of the present invention is ie provision of a hinged closure member and .25 novel means for moving it to and maintain it in a desired open position.

Another important object of the invention is the provision in a circulating heater of a hinged door member placed intermediate the fuel door .30 and ash pit door, which will normally seal the escape of heat units surrounding the fire pot and which may be swung about a common axis through novel and simple means to effect a plurality of desired positions for the escape of said heat units'.

A further important object of the invention is the provision in a heater of the character described, of a freely swinging door or closure member, readily and easily operable to effect a plurality of fixed positions of said closure with a plurality of corresponding angular deflections of the heat units within said heater.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a closure device which is strong, durable,

efficient, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing,

g Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a circulating heater in which the invention is ernbodied;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a circulating heater;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. l and shows the deiiector` door in closed position; 5

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and showing the deflector door in open position;

Fig. 5 is a: section taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3 and showing the various posi-- tions of deections which may be obtained; l0

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the deflector ydoor and operating handle Within the cam member. 15

Referring to the drawing, reference character II indicates, generally, a heater composed of a front panel member I2, rear panel member I3,

side panel members I4 and I5, respectively, and a top grating member I6 provided for the escape of 20 the heat. Suitably disposed within the heater II are a fire pot II, a dome shaped combustion chambery I8, and an ash pit I9.

A windowed fuel door 2I is in registration with the combustion chamber IB and an ash pit door 25 22 is in registration with the ash pit chamber, these two doors being hinged to the front panel member I2 in any suitable or preferred manner.

Intermediate the fuel door and the ash pit door the front panel I2 is provided with an open.- 30 ingy 24, substantially rectangular in' form, having at its upper edge a pair of arcuate recessed portions 25 provided with openings 26, each adapted to receive a lug 21 formed integral with a deflector door or closure member 28. The closure 35 member 28 is shown as applied to the heater II merely as illustrative of one of many uses for which it is adapted. 'I'he lugs 21 are provided with openings 29 through which cotter pins 3I are inserted and bent over. This construction 40 constitutes a hinge for the dei-lector door, which is simple, efficient and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Centrally located on the deflectordoor and intermedate the lugs 2l, an operating handle 32 45 is provided having a stern 33, one end of which is suitably fastened to the handle and the opposite end 34 is bent at right angles to the stem 33. The horizontal axis of the handle and the bent end 34 of the stem (viewing Fig. 6) is 50 adapted to lie below the axis passing through the cotter pins which constitute hinges for the deector door (just described) and. lies within an opening in an irregular shaped member 3B formed integral With the front panel member I2. 55

This irregularly shaped member 36 constitutes a cam for swinging the deflector door about its hinges to the various selected positions, and comprises a vertical portion 31 (Fig. 6) which merges 5 into an eccentric camming portion 38 terminating at 39 and continues with a recessed portion 4I concentric with the axis of the operating handle and beyond the arc of travel of the end of the bent portion 34 of the stem 33.

Viewing Figs. 3 and 4, the eccentric portion 38 slopes inwardly as at 40 towards the stem 33 so that as the stem is rotated in a clockwise direction the end of the stem will be cammed outwardly until it rests in the position shown in Fig. 4.

It will be apparent that camming the stem in this manner will constrain the deector door to swing about its hinges into the position shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 6, it will be seen that as the door handle .is rotated clockwise the stem enters the camming portion 38 riding upon it until it reaches any of the positions shown in Fig. 5 and in rotating further will pass the extremity 39 of the eccentric portion 38, allowing the deiiector door to fall back into the position shownv in Fig. 3. Further movement will then cause the bent end 34 of the stem 33 to contact the rear surface of the member 36 thus holding the deiiector door in its closed position. It will be manifest that the deflector door will maintain any of the assumed positions, as shown in Fig. 5, since the weight of the door will tend to hold the stem against the camming portion 38.

vIt will be apparent that in thus deecting heat downwardly in this manner the cold air at the base of the heater will be preheatedand in this manner greatly add to the efciency of the heater by maintaining a more uniform and evenly fl 4G distributed heat throughout the room.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,

45 construction and arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacricing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

50 I Claim:

1. A closure device for an opening in a wall,

comprising a cover plate for the opening, means for supporting the cover plate to constrain said plate to assume a closing position in respect" to said opening, a boss projecting from the wall inward and having an inner edge spaced diierentially at different points of the length of the wall in respect to the plane of the wall, and a rotatable element on the cover plate in engagement with the edge of the boss in the wall.

2. A closure device for an opening in a wall, comprising a cover plate, means adjacent the upper edge of the cover plate for pivotally supporting said cover plate and constraining said plate to assume a closing position in respect to said opening, a boss projecting from the wall of the heater inward and having a cam edge spaced differentially at different points of its length with respect to the plane of the wall, a rotatable element extending through the cover` plate, and an arm on said rotatable element in permanent frictional engagement with said edge, whereby upon rotation of said rotatable element a differential spacing of the lower edge of said cover plate in respect to the opening in the wall is produced.

3. A closure device for an opening in a wall, comprising a cover plate mounted on said wall so as to normally close said opening, and a member rotatably mounted in said cover plate and co operating with a portion of said wall and adapted upon rotation in one direction to move said cover plate to selective open positions, and upon further rotation in the same direction to allow said cover plate to return to normal closed position.

4. A closure device for an opening in a wall, comprising a cover plate mounted on said wall so as to normally close said opening, and a member rotatably mounted in said cover plate and co-operating with a portion of said wall for normally locking said cover plate in closed position, and adapted upon rotation in one direction to move said cover plate to selective open positions and maintain said plate in kany of said selective positions, and adapted upon further rotation in the same direction to allow said cover plate to return to normal closed position, and upon further similar rotation to again lock said cover plate in closed position.

HARRY S. FLETCHER. 

